Draco Malfoy is not a Death Eater
by phoenixjinx
Summary: Draco Malfoy considers a lot of things to be a complete waste of time, such as the final year at Hogwarts he's being forced to complete, accepting he's actually 'good' (despite popular opinion) and above all, that bothersome Astoria Greengrass... at first.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Trigger warning for PTSD and mentions of violence and sexual abuse- these are mainly flashbacks and not the core plot of the story.**

 **This fanfiction also has NO relation to the Cursed Child. Astoria is not cursed, physically sick or physically weak.**

 **The Harry Potter universe belongs to J.K Rowling.**

 **Hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

'I am not a Death Eater.'

 _"And the liquorice can stain your teeth and your hands. For example, I had a lovely pair of white gloves. My brother shoved a warm liquorice wand into my hand, the stains were ghastly. It looked like I had stuck my hand up a chimney."_

Draco almost reached for his arm, _that_ arm, like he was trying to prove a point to himself. And not the right point.

 _"I do love a strawberry flavoured Bertie Bott's. Toffee's nice enough too in cold weather."_

Just keep walking, Draco thought to himself, his face contorting into a sneer, ignore your own voice and the annoying outside voice. Focus on the corridor, the Hogwarts Express, the innocent bystanders and heroes in the compartments, being in your skin, the year ahead of you and hating every-

 _"Of course I had to throw the gloves out. I could never look at them the same again- there isn't a cleaning charm strong enough for that."_

Draco's hands went into fists.

 _"Trolley lady, don't look at me like that- I know what you are thinking spoilt pureblood, rich girl. But surprise, surprise it's my own money I can and will do what I want with it."_

The thoughts continued to bubble like a potion gone wrong, his mother and father going mad alone at the Manor, the hundred or so looks he had received on the platform-

 _"That brings us back to the question of the Hogwarts Express will it be Bertie Bott's or a liquorice wand? I think I'll risk a dung or earwax flavour. The start of school isn't a special enough occasion for a wand. Maybe Halloween. You see if you drink from a straw or purse you're lips like when you're eating a liquorice wand-"_

Draco Malfoy is not-

Suddenly a hand clamped onto Draco's jaw. Draco jolted in surprise knocking against the trolley lady's cart. In response, the trolley lady said automatically, "Anything from the trolley, dearie?"

"No." Draco snapped, grabbing onto the wrist of the girl. Presumably a mudblood devoid of manners. She wasn't letting go. Draco was forced to stare into her piercing blue eyes, take in the concealer starting to crumble at the corners of her eyes and her deep red lips. She would've been his cup of tea, he thought, if she hadn't been wearing a ridiculous feather in her hair.

"As I was saying, Malfoy, purse your lips too much or go scowling up and down the train and you'll mark your face."

Draco snarled. "Get off."

This clearly wasn't the reaction the girl expected. "Permanently." She added hoping to drive her point home.

"Whatever." He replied coldly, not really taking in what she was saying. He didn't want to be touch or even talked to he just wanted to be invisible and left alone-

'For how long?' the question suddenly appeared to him. 'Forever.' The answer was easy. 'In silence.'

The girl let go of him.

"Mudblood." He snarled. It was like a reflex.

"Greengrass." She held out a hand to him daintily curling her hand into a 'c' shape. "Astoria Greengrass. Slytherin, pureblood and one of Hogwarts' finest Transfiguration students. And you are Draco Malfoy, only son of Lucius and Narcissa. The late Professor Snape used your potion as an example once so I'm assuming you're a top potion student and-"

Death Eater, Draco's head started spinning in circles again. Insane. Bastard. Liar. Coward. Murder-

"Cannot stop frowning." She finished. "Are you sure it isn't a medical condition?"

"How funny." He said, his voice deadpanned. "Which issue of the Quibbler did you get all that from?"

Astoria frowned like she had been hurt. Draco doubted that. She flipped her brown locks over her shoulder.

"I don't read rubbish. It's Witch Weekly or nothing. And I, like my mother, my grandmother and my great-grandmother, study family trees. The Sacred Twenty-Eight fascinate's me." She continued. "You probably don't recognise me." She waited. Draco didn't reply. He looked longingly after the trolley lady who had escaped during Astoria's biography. She touched his upper arm bringing him back into the moment. Draco stared at her pale hand.

"Daphne Greengrass, my older sister, is- I mean was- in your year. I also went to your parents' Christmas party last year and the year before that. We were introduced on…"

Astoria continued her monologue, her hand was still on his robes and her words fell on uninterested ears. Draco couldn't decide whether to bat it away, physically push her away or just leave it. He was tired, he reasoned with himself, he couldn't summon the energy to care. Draco didn't want to try to read her mind either. If it was anything like the person she was on the outside… Draco finally picked her hand off his arm. She was now talking about something he did what felt like decades ago. She snorted with laughter. He grimaced at the sound.

She covered her face with her hand. "Excuse me." She giggled. "Father was cursing you for days afterwards. It's one of those things that comes back to you at the most inconvenient times and makes you laugh-"

Draco started walking again. He pulled his cloak tighter around him like he was cold but in fact, the August heat was making him sweat.

"Rude," Astoria called after him. She marched back up to him. "Malfoy, did you get up on the wrong side of the bed?"

"Don't you have friends?" Draco asked, his voice sounded desperate. "I am not entertainment for you."

Astoria's eyebrows came together. Draco started walking again. Astoria didn't follow him this time. When he walked passed that spot on the train again she was still there, now picking through a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. She didn't say anything, thank Merlin, she kept her nose in the box while he passed only when his back was to her he felt her eyes on him.

When he came back the third time she was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mr Malfoy? Mr Malfoy? Will you focus, please?" the new Transfiguration professor slammed down a textbook. The sound tore Draco's eyes from the stained glass window above the professor's head. The red and blue glass depicted Merlin in a forest. It was raining outside, the raindrops ran down the window making it looked like tears were running down his apple red cheeks.

Draco watched the frowning middle-aged woman. He was supposed to be in potions now, with that idiot Slughorn. He hated potions class. He was seated behind Hermione Granger, her big bushy head blocked the chalkboard. Everywhere he went he couldn't escape the bloody 'Golden Trio.' And to top it all off, Slughorn always had something negative to say to him, he was heating his potion wrong, the texture was wrong, his attitude was wrong and apparently not wearing his Slytherin tie was wrong too. So whoop-di-do!

The professor slammed down the book again. "Mr Malfoy, can you concentrate for ten seconds?" What was her name? Bigfoot or Bigot? He couldn't remember. "Can you repeat back to me what I have said?"

"Work harder," Draco answered automatically. "And I will."

"No." The professor put a hand to her face and sighed. "I said, multiple times, you are failing Transfiguration. You can't even turn a beetle into a button. I understand this has been a rough year for you but the NEWTs are in eight months. Without at least an Exceeds Expectations you will not be able to study potions further- that's what you wrote on your career form. Is that what you wish to do after school? Seek further education?"

Draco didn't reply to that.

"I have assigned you a tutor, Mr Malfoy."

"I don't need one. Everything I need to know is in the textbook."

"Quoting the textbook is not going to get you very far in the NEWTs, Mr Malfoy." The professor clasped her hands together. "It's too late now, I have already arranged a time and a tutor."

"I don't need some Hufflepuff-"

"Slytherin." She corrected. "Ms Greengrass says you know her-"

"No way." Draco was on his feet.

"Mr Malfoy, that is not the way you speak to a professor." She said coolly. "You rarely come to my class and when you do show up you only stare out the window. Do yourself a favour. Ms Greengrass will be in the Slytherin common room on Saturday at nine o'clock."

"In the morning?" Draco asked, standing behind the chair, with a sneer.

"It's a tutoring session, not a party what do you think, Mr Malfoy?"

Draco had his back turned to the professor and was walking out of the room. He didn't see her reaction he only heard. "Ten points from Slytherin for disrespect."

Draco went to the Slytherin common room instead of potions class. He threw himself into an armchair and waited. Astoria would eventually have to pass through the Slytherin common room and when she did he and his boiling blood would be waiting.

She wanted to make a joke out of him, some interesting story to tell her brain dead friends. He could hear her now, ' _The_ Draco Malfoy- the one who was put on trial during the summer, the one who almost ended up in Azkaban but was saved thanks to the heroic mercy of Harry Potter- asked me how my summer was.'

Draco had enough of people. It was 'people' who forced him to go back to Hogwarts, he should be at home making sure his mother and father didn't fall down the stairs or blow the entire Malfoy fortune in Knockturn Alley or Twilfitt and Tatting's in his mother's case.

It was meddling people like Greengrass that made him draw the curtains permanently around his bed.

"Draco?" A voice came, timid but at the same time gruff.

Draco's head snapped towards the source of the sound that interrupted his thoughts. How long had he been sitting there thinking? A minute, an hour? He felt like he was going more insane with every day that passed.

"What, Goyle?" Draco dug his nails into the arm of the chair. Fire. Heat. Sweat. 'Draco, help!' 'What have you done, you idiot?!' Crabbe screaming as he fell and disappeared into the flames. Draco's own grip loosening.

Draco shivered.

"There's a quidditch practice later." He said, pulling at a loose thread in his robes. "I thought you liked to come, you don't have to play, you could just sit-"

"For the tenth time this month no." Draco snapped. "Tell Parkinson to stop sending you over."

Goyle shuffled off again. Draco ran a hand through his hair, his Malfoy ring got caught in a strand. He sighed and pulled it loose. People either feared him, hated him or felt sorry for him. Most of the wizarding community all over the world hated him. Crabbe and the rest of his old gang felt a mixture of sympathy and fear. He had a bad temper that was getting worst and he knew it. He liked it though. It kept people away.

"I don't understand what I did wrong." An all to familiar voice shrilled. Greengrass. Draco picked himself up from the seat and marched over to the entrance of the common room.

A group of four maybe five girls surrounded her.

One girl, with her hair tied back so tight it made her eyes bulge, started. "Greengrass, can you stop being annoying for five seconds?" She raised her wand. "We gave you chances-"

"It was a first year! Why would you do that to a first year?!" Astoria was nearly screaming now. Draco took a step back. Her face was red and she was wearing an expression that read 'I will kill you.'

"A mudblood Raven-what's-it with greasy hair and pimples to match it." The girl chuckled.

Another girl joined in. "So fat I expected him to take off like a balloon."

"So you made him vomit blood," Astoria said, bewildered and enraged.

Something in Draco's stomach churned.

"We can't all find mudbloods sexy." There was a roar of laughter from the group and from everyone in the common room.

Astoria turned a darker shade of red. "You are a mean bitch. This is the best thing that'll ever happen to you. Enjoy it."

The common room fell silent. The leader clapped her hands together and beamed. "Okay, who wants to see what colour Astoria's blood really is? Does anyone want a re-enactment?"

The common room started cheering.

The girls raised their wands at Astoria. "Open wide-"

Before Draco could control himself or remember to return to the wallpaper he was in front of Astoria. She drew her wand and raised it over his shoulder.

"What the fuck, Malfoy?" Someone called.

Draco's heart was pounding. Battle of Hogwarts. A group of Death Eaters. Wands drawn. Surrounding a body torn apart by a werewolf-

Bile rushed into the back of his throat. He swallowed it and took a breath feeling dizzy like the coward he knew he was. His wand-free hand reached for support, he accidentally grabbed Astoria's hand. Like on the train she refused to let go.

Someone wolf whistled.

"Leave her alone or you will regret it." Draco thundered.

There was a chorus of 'ohhh's.

The girls paled. Fear was a great tool in situations like these. Draco almost smiled.

"I might just call in the Death Eaters and we'll-" There was a sharp yank on his hand. He stopped.

Astoria dragged Draco out of the common room, making sure to shoulder the girls on the way out. Once in the cold corridor of the dungeon, still red in the face, she kissed his pale cheek. Draco backed away like a nervous animal.

"No-"

"Thank you." Astoria cut across him. "You saved me, Draco Malfoy."

Draco blinked. No one had ever said that to him before.

"I am not a damsel in distress but you saved me from a trip to the hospital wing. Who the hell does five against one? That's barbaric."

"But not as barbaric." Draco found himself saying. "As making someone vomit blood."

Astoria nodded. "But no one can see that all they can see is a muggleborn. I'm not a muggle-lover for the record." Astoria held up her hands and added. "I just have a heart- Merlin, when was the last time you slept the bags under your eyes have bags."

And just like that, such a simple comment made Draco start laughing and forget why he was searching for Astoria in the first place. He pressed a hand to his face, he felt something sticky on the side of his face. His hand came away dark red, her lipstick.

"I don't know. Everything's a blur." Draco laughed harder. It took him a second to realise Astoria wasn't laughing with him. Instead, the corners of her mouth were pulled down and her eyes were boring into his.

"I think you need to sit down," Astoria said quietly. She held his hand again and led him down the dungeon corridor to a bench. She put both her hands on his shoulders and forced him to sit down. Astoria pressed a hand to his forehead like his mother used to do him when he was younger… now the house elf does that to his mother.

Astoria had a feather in her hair, this time it was pink with a purple tip. Draco tried to focus on that, her eyes were too intense.

"Why did you sign up to be my tutor? I don't want one and I don't need one." He said coldly.

"I didn't 'sign up'," Astoria said matching his tone. "I tutor other students you are just a new addition to my list."

Draco was taken back he had expected her to start rambling about her tutoring experience and the unicorn bullshit she was planning to force down his throat.

"You know," her eyes softened. "Sometimes I don't sleep either."

Draco pretended he didn't hear that. "Greengrass, you should stay away from me."

"Oh, because you're so bad." Astoria mocked. "If I recall correctly _you_ threw yourself in front of me. I had no intention of meeting with you face to face until Saturday." She straightened her skirt. "Do you want me to take you to the hospital wing? You look paler than a ghost."

"I'm always pale." He stood up. She reached for him, he ducked away from her hand just in time. "I don't need a tutor. I don't care about Transfiguration-"

"What do you care about then, Draco?" Astoria stepped up on the bench, she was a couple of inches taller than him that way. She peered down her nose at him, her eyebrows joining together.

Draco reached up to loosen his tie forgetting he had abandoned it a couple of weeks ago at the start of the year.

"How about you mind your own business, Greengrass? Does that sound so hard?" Draco scowled at her. Merlin, she was annoying.

"I'd find something to care about if I were you. My mother always said, 'life loses meaning when you have nothing to follow.'"

Draco snorted.

Astoria said, "Us Slytherins- proper, decent Slytherins- have to look out for each other. I'd hate to be the only one with a brain left in this house."

Draco threw his hands in the air. "Then you better start enjoying it." Draco marched off down the corridor.

"Nine o'clock Saturday morning, Draco," Astoria called after him, her voice echoed through the silent dungeon.

Draco shut his eyes, praying for patience.

"It's Malfoy to you, Greengrass."


	3. Chapter 3

Draco went to the one place at Hogwarts he knew he could be alone: the owlery. Blair was waiting for him, nestled in one of the owl-sized sections cut into the stone wall. Her sharp eagle-like eyes widened as he approached. Her warm brown feathers set her apart from the other owls. They were all white with yellow beady eyes thanks to Potter's martyr owl. It was a new craze as well as sporting the same ridiculous glasses as the boy who lived. Draco would rather go blind.

Blair cooed affectionately.

"Hey, girl," Draco said softly. He made his lips pull upwards into a smile. It was getting dark now the sun was setting, dinner was probably being served up at the castle. Everything in the Great Hall tasted like ashes in, Draco's opinion, since the war. "How was your day?"

The owl squawked in response, moving over and revealing a dead mouse sitting on top of a letter. Draco recognised the Malfoy wax seal, a big 'M' imprinted on the middle like the ministries' seal.

"Remember what I said last time I was here? 'I don't eat mice.'"

He had to read the letter but he didn't want to. It could be something bad, so many things could be happening at Malfoy Manor when he was sleeping or wasting his time arguing with Greengrass. He couldn't deal with any family matters at Hogwarts and that annoyed him the most. He was practically powerless locked away in the castle.

Draco curled his hand and stroked her chest, the feathers were as soft as a pillow.

He maneuvered the letter from under the mouse ignoring the yellow mouse-shaped stain. To his surprise, there was another small pink envelope under that. He looked at the distraction closer, there was an illustration of a Hippogriff on the side and in the centre, in small loopy writing, it read 'Dear Draco.'

"Blair," Draco turned his attention from what seemed to be fan mail from a nine year old to the innocent wide brown eyes of his owl. "What did I tell you about bringing me joke letters? Leave them in the woods or use them for your shit-" he pinched the letter ready to rip it to pieces.

Blair squawked again this time sending a warning nip his owner's way.

"Fine!" Draco tore open the envelope and pulled free a matching pink sheet of parchment. He got a strong whiff of perfume. It reeked like an expensive flower explosion, Draco imagined. "If you want something to laugh at."

 _'Dear Draco,_

 _I am writing to you to inform you, I have been chosen to be your Transfiguration tutor. Apparently, you are struggling with every aspect of the course. Usually, the problems lie with the wand movement-'_

"What in Merlin's name?" Draco winced. "You knew not to accept letters from Parkinson but _Greengrass_ -"

The owl clawed at the stone wall in response.

Draco's animated expression dropped. "She fed you, you great pigeon, didn't she?"

Blair was suddenly very preoccupied with the dead mouse. Draco scanned to the end of the letter.

 _Yours,_

 _Astoria._

 _(You can call me that you know)._

Draco cringed, whatever happened to 'yours sincerely', 'regard' or simply 'from.' He pocketed the letter it joined the sweet wrappers in his pocket, stuff like that would give him a cavity.

He couldn't remember Daphne Greengrass attention seeking. All he could remember of Daphne was that she talked through her nose and they had been paired up for potions once. She cut the ingredients wrong and ruined the potion. She also threw a nasty hex in DADA at Potter in third year when he told her she was in his way. That didn't sit well with the werewolf.

He tried to remember Astoria but he couldn't. It was like she had materialised on the Hogwarts Express. He frowned. Maybe it was all in his head, he was hitting the wall like Mother only not confusing him and his father or going on shopping sprees. That thought gave him some comfort as he opened the next dreaded letter.

 _Draco._

Father.

 _That blasted old man Weasley tripped me in the ministry…_

Draco was reading the letter but he couldn't take anything in. His mind was doing it again, playing a memory over and over.

He was in fifth year on his Easter mid-term with a shining inquisitional squad badge on his chest. He remembered wearing it all through the break. Mother thought it was marvellous, she flattened his hair and kept saying how much he looked like his father and how 'proud' Father was of him… he just wasn't the affectionate type.

The Malfoys were having dinner with his Aunt Bellatrix. She was an all-around horrible woman, Draco secretly thought. He had to sit across from her at the table and watch her make inhuman slurping sounds as she sucked on a fish bone. Mother and Father wouldn't say anything. Her hands were black with dirt, her nails were rotten and her hair was so greasy it looked like she had just been out in the rain.

"Supporting the dark lord are we, Draco?" Bellatrix smirked, gesturing to his badge. She cut across Father and his point about Gringotts' rising prices. Father scraped his knife and fork against his plate. The house elf, standing with a tray next to the door, shuddered. "Problem, Lucius?"

"No, Bellatrix." He replied. "Continue."

Draco didn't know if it was just his mind adding to the drama but the classical music playing in the corner seemed to speed up and become louder.

"About time Draco showed his true loyalty no matter how small." She chuckled, nodding at his badge.

Draco flushed. His mother got there first.

"Bella, Draco is part of the inquisitorial squad."

"We're above the prefects," Draco added.

Bellatrix pressed her fork to her lips. "It's not the dark mark. I've been in deep discussion with the Dark Lord as Luci knows Cissy." She raised her eyebrows challenging Lucius at the head of the table. "He thinks Draco will be ready _soon._ " There was more than a glint of maliciousness in her eyes.

"How soon?" Draco pressed, his pulse speeding up with excitement.

"Draco!" Narcissa snapped. She dropped her cutlery, it fell with a loud bang onto her plate.

"Mother, I'm ready." Draco protested.

Bellatrix hands clapped together. "Soon, Draco. I could arrange a meeting between you and the Dark Lord, one on one-"

"Bella, stop!" Narcissa stood up abruptly. "I will not allow you to speak to my child like that."

Draco slammed his hand down on the table. "I'm not a child! How many times to do-"

"DRACO!" his father roared. "Do not speak to your Mother like that!"

Draco shifted uncomfortably. His blood was boiling for a different reason now. He couldn't decide who to get angry at for upsetting Father, his mother or his aunt. Things were going so well, he was this close to being invited on one of his outings, he could feel it but now…

"Narcissa, sit." His father reached for her hand. She pulled it out of his reach behind her back.

"Excuse me," Narcissa said quietly. "I must touch up my powder."

Draco jabbed angrily at what was left of his food.

"Respect and ambition don't work together." Bellatrix smiled at him.

"Go to your room, Draco, stay there." His father hissed at him.

"Father-"

"Now. Do not test my patience, boy."

Draco knew better than to argue. He stood up and walked slowly from the room catching the start of Bellatrix's next sentence as the door slammed shut behind him.

"Soon."

 _Your father and mother._

Draco wished it was a 'love' instead of a 'your' and he immediately felt childish. With only the owls watching him he crumpled the letter and threw it out one of the windows of the owlery. A chilly breeze blew in through the window, Draco wrapped his cloak tighter around him. The sky had turned purple. He said goodbye to Blair and started walking again until he reached the Black Lake. He sat on the rocky shore and listened to the soothing sound of the waves hitting the shore until his hands were shaking so bad with the cold he was sure his fingers were blue.


	4. Chapter 4

"Pouting again, Draco?" The curtain hissed along the railing and like a nightmare, Astoria Greengrass stood above him with a ghastly green bejewelled flower in her hair.

"Get out!" Draco turned on his side away from her, covering his bare chest with his blanket. "This is the boy dormitory!"

"And it's Saturday nine o'clock, Draco, darling."

Draco winced. "Yeah, shouldn't you be in bed? Your own bed, Astoria, sweetheart."

"What are you reading?" she grabbed his book from his hands before he could react. "You don't look like the reading type-"

He sat up and tried to get the book off her. She dodged him expertly, flipping the book over to see the title, her thumb keeping his place.

"Dark Artifacts and their Twisted Shelves." She looked at him with an amused expression on her face. "If you were going to read anything I would've guessed a Divination book."

Draco sighed. "Go away, Greengrass." He flopped back down and turned away from her hoping that would be the end of it. "And give me back my book for Merlin's sake."

Astoria touched his shoulder. "That's weird. I expected more insults, maybe a bed thrown across the room, I wouldn't mind a duel either, it's a bit boring around here. Where are all the other boys?"

"Quidditch practice," Draco muttered into his pillow.

"I think quidditch is a bit over-rated, don't you? The mud, the sludge, the sweat, no one wants that. My brother, he's an absolute cutie, he's starting Hogwarts in two years and he is obsessed with it. Mother will only let him have a toy broom, the real ones are far too dangerous and expensive-"

"Are you trying to bore me out of bed?"

"Rude much, Draco?" She pushed his shoulder playfully. "Personally, I would love to go flying but my parents would never let me, it's a no girls allowed situation apparently." Astoria turned to the back of the book reading the blurb. "This sounds boring, no offence. Chapter twenty-two is about polishing, buffing."

"Are you just going to stand there all day?"

"Why do you ask?"

"So I can prepare myself… maybe find a piece of rope."

Astoria laughed. "Funny, Draco, suicide is the perfect way to impress me."

A second passed and he felt his blanket ruffle. He suddenly felt her breath on his neck.

"What are you doing?" Draco pulled away from her, outraged. But too stunned jump out of bed into the cold. That kind of contact Draco had only recently stopped dreaming about.

"I was cold." She said like the answer was obvious. "I don't have anywhere else to be or anything else to do so I'll play by your rules and say we studied and can now make a feather vanish and reappear."

Draco's heart pounded, her dress was low cut, tight and silky. Her chest looked like it was about to explode out of it. She was way too close to him for comfort.

"Here's your book." She handed him the hardback. And she smelt exactly like that letter. Like she just took a bath in a flower explosion.

Blush crept onto Draco's pale face, Astoria kept looking at his exposed skin. He couldn't read the expression on her face. She propped her head up on her hand and looked him directly in the eye.

"You haven't told me anything about you." She stated. And he wanted it to remain that way, simple and uncomplicated.

"Don't you have friends or someone else's personal life you can nose around in?"

She looked away from him to the pillow. Draco didn't know if it was their closeness or the fact that they were alone that made him say, "Sorry."

Astoria looked back up at him, expecting more.

"I didn't mean it like that. I just… haven't spoken to anyone properly in a long time."

Astoria found his hand under the blanket and held it. He let her.

"My friends are either in foreign countries married and expecting their first child or waiting to be married off to another pureblood. Their parents wouldn't let them come back to Hogwarts," Astoria said a note of sadness in her voice. "I haven't spoken to anyone properly in a while either."

"And you chose me?" he said.

She shrugged. "You have nice eyes and everyone else refuses to let me be a part of their friend group, believe me, I've tried. My mother says I'm too forward, but I think it's something else something I don't want to change. You're really warm." She giggled like it was the funniest thing in the world.

"Were you expecting my bed to have icicles?"

Astoria shifted, letting go of his hand. She pulled about five sheets of parchment out from under her. "I didn't think you slept on parchment."

"I work best when I'm stressed." He grabbed them and threw them onto the floor.

Astoria reached up and rubbed her fingers against the stubble on his jawline. "Is not shaving getting to you?"

He didn't reply instead he put his head on his pillow and shut his eyes.

"Draco?" Astoria said softly, after about a minute of sweet silence.

"Hmmm?" he murmured, trying to ignore the fact a nice-looking girl was in his bed. It felt like a very good dream. Draco tried to bring his focus back to reality. This was the girl who grabbed his face and told him he would get permanent lines and wrote him a letter on pink Hippogriff stationary. He was suddenly turned off.

"If you want me to leave I will."

"Maybe you should've asked permission before you got into my bed," Draco said into his pillow. "With me in it," he added for effect.

"I'm going to take that as 'you can stay, Astoria, sweetheart.'" Astoria said, her leg brushing against his. "You're owl's cute by the way. He-"

"She." Draco corrected, his eyes opening again.

"She," Astoria raised her eyebrows at him. "Is almost as warm as you."

"Blair has better feathers than me," Draco grunted, Astoria had caught him on a good day. "Did you feed my owl, Astoria?"

Astoria's eyes were practically sparkling now. "Astoria. You called me by my first name seriously. I have to tell the entire school."

"Did you bribe my owl, Greengrass?"  
"Yes, Malfoy, I did. She likes dead mice. I'm guessing you do too, my darling sweet Draco."

"I don't and I don't like hippogriffs either."

Astoria blinked. "Hippogriffs?"  
"On your stationary, there was a hippogriff on the envelope."

"Let me guess you eat sunshine and rainbows for breakfast?"

"Surely you know the story about me and the stupid beast. It's school legend now."  
"It's not school legend if I haven't heard it. What about the time you dressed up like a dementor to scare the crap out of Harry Potter?"  
Draco winced, feeling a rush of embarrassment. That was at the top of his list of most stupid and immature things he had done at Hogwarts.

"Tell me about the hippogriff." Astoria beamed. "I enjoy a good story."

"It resulted in this scar…" he trailed off. Draco had almost brought _that_ arm out from under the covers. How could he forget? That warped scar... was going to inform anyone who saw it... be a part of him forever.

Astoria, like she could read his mind, grabbed his left arm under the covers and felt a long it. Draco was about to push her away when she stopped.

"Here?" She pressed her fingers into the raised skin. It wasn't the dark mark.

"Yeah," he nodded, pulling his arm away from her.

"Go on then." Astoria urged him. "I'll be here listening." She put her head on his chest. She was listening to the quick thump of his heartbeat. For some reason, he liked it and decided to let her stay there. More pillow for him, he reasoned with himself.

Astoria laughed in all the right places. Except when he told her what the hippogriff did after he called the thing a 'great, ugly, brute.'

She yawned into the back of her hand. "If the professor had taken more safety measures such as telling his students: don't insult the bloody hippogriff it can understand English-"

"I think it understood the tone but fair point."

"And put the creature on a leash." Astoria went on like this for the next five minutes until she finally let it go and sunk back down on top of his chest, inhaling him. Draco smiled to himself.

He started telling her about his father and the legal troubles until he heard her breathing in deeper and longer. He shifted to look at her properly, her eyes were shut and her mouth was slightly open. Draco frowned not because he had sent her to sleep but at the fact she clearly she felt comfortable enough to not only get into his bed but to sleep with him. And not in the way Draco would've prefered.

No one else at Hogwarts could happily be in Astoria's position, he thought, as he watched Astoria's chest rise and fall. The rest of the Slytherin boys in the dorm drew their curtains, he knew it was because of him. They were stupid, they thought the curtains would stop a wand. They didn't talk to Draco when he was in the dorm either, they only risked that in public.

Draco sighed, he twisted a lock of soft brown hair around his fingers. He decided to leave her sleep, what harm would it do? Plus he could finally read his book. Her breaths were becoming soft snores now. Draco relaxed and grabbed his book careful not to brush too hard against her.

Draco's eyes flicked to that ridiculous green flower. His morning was not going to be polluted by that abomination. He gently loosened the clip, he didn't think she would mind that much. He pulled it away and a small section of hair shorter than even his own was revealed. Draco bit his lip and quickly put the clip back.

His hands started shaking, his mind was whirling with images and imaginings of how that happened. A death eater pulling her, screaming, away from her family. A death eater cutting off a section for a polyjuice potion. A death eater forcing the hair down her throat like rope-

He scowled to himself. Snap out of it. Magic, Draco, remember that thing? Magic. If any of those scenarios had actually happened she would've used magic to grow that part of her hair back to the same length as the rest of it. It was probably just a terrible style choice or an excuse to wear her ugly flowers and feathers.

Unless it was done intentionally by magic or a potion.

He would not ask her though. Somethings were better not knowing.

Draco sighed again, he could hear the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. He grabbed his wand from under his pillow almost twisting his arm in the process, just to keep her asleep. He moved his wand shutting the curtains then he cast a selection of soundproof charms, his favourites, they couldn't hear Astoria's breathing and he didn't have to listen to their conversations.

He put his wand back to its spot and tried to focus on the words in his book. What felt like an hour later, Draco was drifting to sleep. The words on the page in front of him were becoming cloud-like blurs. He was jolted away from the warm dozy sensation by a:

"No, please, I'm- I'm… please. Don't touch me."

Astoria.

Every muscle in her body was tense it sounded like she was actually talking to him. It took Draco a second to realise that she was having a nightmare not coming to her senses and pushing him away.

"Astoria," he grabbed her shoulders, her skin was tacky and covered with a hot spreading red rash that covered her chest and arms like a burn. "Astoria, wake up!" he shook her harder. Draco started to panic, her features were scrunched in pain. He had never heard someone this distressed in their sleep and it was never his job to help people period, he couldn't call a teacher.

"No, let go of me! I- I hate you!" She shouted. Astoria twisted like she trying to loosen his grip on her.

"Astoria, please, wake up. You're dreaming. It's me, Draco." He sounded manic in his own ears.

"Leave me alone." She cried finally, tears streaming down her red cheeks. Her makeup had clumped together and was flaking around her nose. Her eyes fluttered open. She was scanning her surroundings desperately. Draco knew he couldn't help her, but he still tried.

"You're in the boy's dorm." He said quickly. "You fell asleep-"

She pushed herself away from him and wrapped her arms tight around her chest, panting for breath.

"It's okay." Draco didn't dare try to touch. "You're safe. It was only a nightmare." He held up his hands making himself as vulnerable as possible.

Her eyes darted to the disfigured dark mark on his left forearm. Draco put his arm down but it was too late, Astoria's face was now turning purple with anger.

"Why did you let me fall asleep!?" she shouted. "Why didn't you wake me up!? How hard is that!? Don't look at me like that!"

"Like what?" Draco snapped, feeling his own temper bubbling.

"LIKE I'M A FREAK!" she exploded. "AN IDIOT!"

"Astoria, calm down! I'm not looking at you like that-" but it was too late she jumped off the bed and ran, abandoning her textbook and her heels.

Draco exhaled heavily as the curtain fell back into place. The anger that was there just seconds ago was gone in its place was confusion and a weird sense of loneliness he didn't understand.

He didn't know how but he fucked everything up again. He raked his hands through his hair. Everything was always his fault, everything he touched turned to dirt or he was the dirt depending on which way you looked at it. He touched his bare chest, it shone with Astoria's sweat. He didn't grimace at it. Instead, he got up ignoring the stares from the other boys in the dorm, he pulled on some clothes, grabbed her textbook and shoes.

He sat in an armchair in the common room and waited. She didn't show up.


	5. Chapter 5

Draco Malfoy is not a death eater, he told himself again and again as he pushed the doors to the Great Hall open. He couldn't sleep, he couldn't read and his sheets and pillow smelled like Astoria. Everything was irritating him.

He felt his face naturally morph into a snarl as he stepped into the Great Hall. It was better than he had anticipated, no teachers just a few Ravenclaws were eating breakfast at seven o'clock on a Sunday morning.

He sat down at the end of the Slytherin table and looked around properly for the first time this year. Everything looked the same as every other year but it all felt different. Draco shivered. He started buttering an ordinary slice of toast because it was an ordinary place on an ordinary day. He set down the knife. He overdid it, melted butter started flooding his plate, the toast had turned soggy. Under his dark artefacts book, Astoria's Transfiguration book stuck out. He pulled it out from under his book getting a good look at the cover, it was destroyed with ink.

In the right-hand corner was covered with lines from 'Magic Works'.

' _Yeah, it's hard, you must be brave._

 _Don't let this moment slip away.'_

 _'Don't let this magic die.'_

There was a love heart drawn around it in red ink. There were a lot of hearts on her textbook and even a cat wearing a Slytherin scarf. Maybe it wasn't all as innocent and stupid as Draco had thought. Maybe like the Great Hall the textbook was some false illusion of what happened or didn't happen to Astoria Greengrass.

The inside of her textbook was destroyed too, only with notes on spells and diagrams. Draco pushed it off to the side and focused on his next piece of toast. He wasn't going to destroy this one.

The doors to the Great Hall creaked open again. Headmistress McGonagall appeared. Draco turned the other way, ready to sprint back to the dungeons once she was far away enough from the door.

The doors opened again, this time the girl he expected would never speak to him again popped her head into the hall. Astoria scanned the room hurriedly. When Draco's eyes locked with Astoria's, her blue ones widened. The doors quickly shut again.

Draco blinked and it reopened, this time Astoria stepped through smiling at him like they were old friends and yesterday didn't happen.

"Draco, darling." She said when she reached the Slytherin table. Her voice echoed through the Great Hall. The Ravenclaws turned to stare at them and Draco had no doubt McGonagall was eyeing them as well. Astoria didn't react, her smile only grew wider. Draco wanted to laugh.

Astoria walked directly over to him and sat down as gracefully as you can on an unsuspecting person's lap.

"Good morning." She greeted. Draco could smell toothpaste on her breath.

"Greengrass, get off. You can't scream at me-"

"Are we going to study today?" she asked innocently.

Draco finished. "And act like nothing happened."

She shrugged. "What happened? We studied Transfig. You now know how to make a feather disappear and reappear. Handy, right?"

Headmistress McGonagall cleared her throat. They both ignored her.

Draco rolled his eyes. His mother used to play this trick. If I don't mention it, it didn't happen, doesn't matter if I sound like an idiotic child.

"Not as handy as being able to talk in your dreams."

Astoria's face fell a fraction. "I don't talk in my dreams."

"You scream," Draco said, ready for her to start screaming again. "And you cry, that's a real party trick."

Astoria's breaths became shallow. She put her hands on his chest. "How many galleons will it take to make you forget about that?"

"What?"

"I can do your homework-"

Headmistress McGonagall called from the staff table. "Ms Greengrass, will you please control yourself. Five points from Slytherin for inappropriate behaviour."

Astoria was now gnawing on her lip.

"Astoria, it's okay-"

"Five points from Slytherin for every second Ms Greengrass continues to spend on top of Mr Malfoy."

"I didn't mean to fall asleep it just happened-"

"Twenty-five points!"

Draco huffed loudly. "Fine! Come on, Astoria. I don't care about bloody house points or a fake trophy." He nudged Astoria off him. Astoria stared at him, wide-eyed, as he grabbed her arm and led her from the Great Hall. "But I don't need wrinkled up old bitch-"

"Excuse me, Mr Malfoy-" the end of McGonagall's sentence was covered up by the sound of the Great Hall door slamming shut after Draco and Astoria.

"Draco-"

Draco cut her off, fast. He put his hands either side of her face. "Stop annoying me. I don't want or need to know."

Astoria exhaled heavily. "I don't want to tell you… ever."

Draco nodded. "Still not interested."

"Thank you, Draco." Astoria reached up and cupped his hands with hers.

There was a beat. Astoria kept scanning his face like she was for looking something.

Draco was about to drop his hands and call it a day when Astoria spoke up.

"Do you want to go for a walk?"

"No," Draco said bluntly. He dropped his hands now, his palms felt warm from her cheeks.

"Outside." Astoria pestered. "It's nice and warm. I was just out there, the leaves are browning and falling off the trees. I think I saw a hare sprinting by the Black Lake and…"

Apparently, Astoria had the power to persuade him to say yes. After a hefty description of the Black Lake, Draco finally gave in. He told himself it was just to shut her up, not to make sure she was okay.

"I suppose if your betrothed sees us you'll throw me under the knight bus." Draco announced, once they had crossed the bridge and there was a natural pause in her 'how illogical the NEWTs were' argument. It was a one-sided argument.

Astoria linked his arm. "Draco, darling, how you flatter me."

"Surely you have forced yourself onto someone else's lap."

Astoria pushed him playfully. "It's not my fault you're the only attractive wizard left."

Draco's thin lips smirked.

Astoria cleared her throat.

"What?"

"Now you're supposed to say the same thing back."

"It's not my fault you're the only attractive wizard left." He repeated and added. "I don't believe you. You have to be betrothed to some pumpkin from Dungstrang."

Astoria giggled. "I don't read my parents letters, that's my trick."

"That's not very productive. That's quite stupid."

Draco led her towards the Black Lake and the forestry that surrounded it. Thank Merlin it was away from the gamekeeper's hut and the quidditch pitch.

"Stop being unempathetic. You have more of a choice in who you'll marry than I ever will."

"I'm sorry did you expect me to start crying? Maybe offer my hand?"

"I wouldn't mind that." She looked up at him from under her eyelashes.

Draco swallowed. He didn't deserve that or even her joking with him about that. He suddenly wanted to shout at her. He had almost killed three people on his own and as part of the Death Eaters so many other-

"Draco?" she stopped walking.

"What's wrong now?" his tone was colder than he had intended.

She frowned at him. "What are you thinking about? You've got that glazed over look again."

"I didn't ask you what you were dreaming about, Astoria, did I?"

"No, you didn't." She nodded and walked ahead of him, to the shore of the Black Lake. "I won't be dreaming about it again for a while, thank Merlin." Draco caught up to her with his long strides easily.

"What do you mean?" Draco clasped and unclasped his hands in front of him.

Astoria gave him a tight smile. "That bit of sleep will last me the weekend. I've gotten quite good at it."

Draco shut his eyes, listening to the gentle sound of waves lapping against the shore of the Black Lake. Peaceful.

"It's colder than I thought." She said, pulling her cloak tighter around her. Astoria was wearing another dress today, all she seemed to own were low cut dresses.

"Astoria," Draco asked quietly. "Have you ever tried 'Pollycolly'?"

Astoria raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not into drugs, Draco."

"It's a potion that knocks you right out, it stops you having dreams but it still allows you to sleep."

Astoria sniffed. "I know what it is. My mother says such potions age you faster."

"Not sleeping will age you a lot faster than any potion."

Astoria shrugged. "My parents would never let me anyway. They keep an eye on my money and they… check me."

Draco sighed, why was he doing this and why couldn't he stop himself from being so helpful?

"I can make you some."

Astoria's eyes widened then snapped back to their usual size. Now she was looking suspiciously at him.

"Just take the offer, Astoria, I won't be offering again."

There was a long beat. She was still looking at him.

Draco stated. "I'm not going to tell you what to do."

"I just want it to stop." She said timidly. "Is this fail-proof?"

"Yeah," Draco answered.

She glanced around like she expected to see someone watching from the trees.

"Can you make it for tonight?"

"I can make it right now," Draco said without hesitation.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: Not sure if the followers got an update notification for the last chapter, I didn't. Probably a glitch. Anyway, hope you enjoy...**

* * *

"Astoria, wait here." He hooked his arm around her stomach preventing her from moving forward. And because it was Astoria, he added. "Silently. Don't draw attention to yourself."

Draco had walked quickly towards the potions classroom with Astoria. He told her about the ingredients involved in the potion, ingredients he had no intention of buying or scavaging for in the Forbidden Forest. Talking about potions was setting him at ease- good mood at ease. Merlin, this was scary.

Astoria could see the reason for Draco's sudden attitude change right over his shoulder.

"Draco, it's a frizzy-haired mudblood, not a dragon I'll survive."

"I'll be a minute at the most." He told her sternly. He peered through the half open door expecting that sidekick Weasel to materialise beside Granger. She was holding a book to her with one hand and stirring a cauldron with the other.

Astoria grinned widely. Draco shifted uncomfortably at the sight. She had suddenly grown a few inches. "You're becoming protective of me-"

Draco grumbling curses stepped into the classroom. He closed the door firmly behind him. He wouldn't think about what Astoria said because it wasn't true. It was a lie.

Granger immediately looked up. Her eyes narrowed at him but her book stayed protectively in front of her.

The door to the potions classroom clicked open again. Astoria stepped in happily falling into step with him. She scowled at him. "Did your mother ever teach you not to slam the door in the face of an elegant young lady?"

Draco hissed. "Honestly, you are worse than a child. I told you to wait."

"It'll be faster with the two of us looking." Astoria raised an eyebrow at him.

Granger made a coughing noise at the two of them.

Astoria flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Merlin knows I will catch the end of breakfast. Do you know the ingredients?"

"Yes, Astoria, sweetheart." He said through gritted teeth. He didn't want to breathe the same air as Granger, speaking in front of her was driving his patience to the edge.

 _A Death Eater raised his wand. Draco jumped back, his mother's wand ready and pointed, but the Death Eater was too quick. Violent wand movement. Jab. A bright blue light came from behind. It stung Draco's eyes. His body suddenly felt too heavy. The Death Eater was curled up on the bloodstained ground like a sleeping cat. 'Get out of here, Malfoy.' 'Why did you keep saving him, Harry?'_

"Draco," Astoria tugged on his arm, bringing him back to earth. He was now standing in the store cupboard with her. He blinked, clearing his head. There was a light coming from Astoria's wand and her wand free hand was in his. "Wormwood, right? I remember you saying something about that."

"Wormwood," he murmured back.

"Sure, we don't need the book?" She poked him with the tip of her wand. He jolted, fully awake now.

"No, I make this potion all the time for my parents." He pressed his lips together. He shouldn't have said that. Too many details, information she could tell everyone, the ministry could take advantage of that-

"Great. So I won't end up in the Hospital Wing poisoned." Astoria scanned the second shelf. She poked around the dusty glass containers and jars with her wand.

Draco picked up a vial of crushed cloves from the third shelf. "Every potion's ingredients list makes sense after a while. The ingredients connect together. That's not wormwood, Astoria- that is."  
Several minutes later, Draco and Astoria walked out of the store cupboard each balancing three ingredients.

"I told you, you needed my help, Draco, darling." Astoria fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"There's this thing called magic, Astoria, so no I did not need your help," Draco walked quickly to the door.

Granger's eyes were boring into him, he could feel it. It was making him sweat. Reminding him of every bad thing he had done during the war. He didn't have a choice. No one would leave their parents and the only life they knew for the strange possibly 'evil' side of the war. But that didn't matter to anyone.

He was nearly safe and out of Granger's eye line when Astoria opened her mouth again, he should've seen this coming.

"Is there a problem?"

Draco frowned thinking she was addressing him. He turned and immediately wished he hadn't. Her nose was up in the air and her eyes were squinted in hatred at Granger.

"None," Granger replied airily. She raised an eyebrow at Astoria.

"Keep your eyes to yourself then and that look off your face. You don't know what you're asking for, Gryffindor."

Granger looked shocked.

Draco was shocked.

Astoria looked quite pleased with herself as she strutted out of the classroom. "Draco, hurry up we haven't got all day." She called over her shoulder.

Draco, completely forgetting about Granger, jogged after Astoria. "Was that necessary?" he asked, once he had caught up with her in the corridor.

"Was what she was doing necessary?" Astoria cornered. She suddenly stopped walking and faced him.

Draco sighed. "I prefer nowadays to do my unnecessary insulting in the shadows."

"The potions classroom has plenty of shadows."

Draco couldn't help himself. "You're becoming very protective of me."

Astoria gave him a shy smile. "I like you."

Draco raised an eyebrow at her as a silent response.

"No one else in this house would make this potion for me without asking questions or asking for galleons. And you still put up with me even though I shouted at you which I'm sorry about."

Draco nodded, his face was starting to feel hot. "Potion then."

Astoria put a hand on his chest to stop him from stepping forward. "And you," her voice was very soft now. Draco had to strain his ears to hear her. "Went into that classroom for me even though it made you uncomfortable."

"Right." Draco nodded again, his face was red now.

"That's why I went in with you even after the door-"

"Astoria?"

"Draco?"

"We should start on that potion." He said, looking everywhere but at her. She came closer to him stepping entirely into his personal space. "You look tired."

"Wait," she put a hand on his shoulder. She kissed his cheek again, longer and harder than the last time. The jars in Draco's arms clinked together. When she pulled back there was a lipstick print in the shape of her lips on Draco's cheek.

She didn't say anything and Draco kept his thoughts to himself. Focus on the potion, he told himself.

* * *

 **Author's note: Thank you for reading, reviewing, following and favouriting. I'm delighted to see other fans are interested in Draco/Astoria. Next chapter is going to be cute but steamy... thanks again!**


	7. Chapter 7

"Did anyone see you?" Draco asked as he felt his covers ruffle. He didn't have to open his eyes Astoria's perfume was already burning the back of his nose.

"Worried about my reputation, Draco, darling?"

"I'm not," Draco muttered.

Astoria slid in beside him but didn't lie down like he expected. Draco opened his eyes, she was sitting up with her back against the headboard. The curtain around his bed had separated an inch letting in a line of moonlight. It lit up her face and made the vial of Pollycolly she was holding look more purple than blue.

Astoria laughed dryly. "Are worried about your own?" She pulled at her pink satin nightdress.

"Astoria," he said sternly. "Drink the potion now or I will. I promise you will not gain twenty pounds or Merlin forbid, wrinkles overnight."

"Potions are powerful things." Astoria reminded him, examining the vial. "They can cause excruciating pain, boils, make you transform into other witches or-"

"How long did it take me to make that?"

"Ten minutes."

"Polyjuice takes months to make and depends on the moon cycle. So no, Astoria, you are not going to wake up with a different body." Draco turned his back to her.

"My mother says-"

"The one that spends her time embroidering kittens," Draco recalled one of the several- possibly hundreds of- facts Astoria had told him about her personal life today.

Astoria sighed.

"Trust me," Draco said simply. His mind flooded with dark memories, proof of why she shouldn't trust him. He bit the side of his mouth, pushing all the memories back down. "I wouldn't let you in my bed if I were planning on poisoning you, now that would be messy. Death's messy," he added. "I don't do cleaning charms."

There was a loud popping sound signalling Astoria had uncorked the vial.

"You'll wake me up if anything..." She said quietly. "Even a _hint_ of anything happens."

"Yes," Draco said for what felt like the hundredth time. He looked over his shoulder at her. She had the vial pressed to her lips ready to down it. She looked unnaturally stiff. Draco accidentally brushed against her leg. "You're cold." He murmured.

"You'll just have to make me warm again." Astoria downed the vial, wincing at the taste. "Way too sweet." She remarked. Draco grabbed the vial from her hand. He knew the potion worked fast. She should start getting woozy right-

"I don't feel anything." She shivered.

"Lie down, if you fall asleep sitting up you'll get a crick in your neck." He warned.

Astoria, for once, did as she was instructed.

"You're wearing a top this time." She observed.

"I don't want to give you an excuse to stare at me."

"Draco, I like staring at you." She yawned. Her eyes were starting to droop now. "Maybe you'll give me something nice to dream about."

Astoria pulled at his shoulder weakly. He knew she wanted him to face her.

"You won't be dreaming about anything." He said, an unkind edge to his tone. He rolled his eyes and half gave in. He rolled onto his back so he was shoulder to shoulder with her.

Her head fell to the side. Her eyes were shut now and her breathing was slowing down. She yawned again.

"Draco," Her words were starting to slur. "Can you put your arm around me? I feel cold."

Draco murmured something unintelligible.

"It won't kill you," Astoria replied.

"It might."

"Draco!"

"Would you like a goodnight kiss while I'm at it?"

Astoria didn't reply.

"Astoria?"

"Hmm… we can pretend if we want… pretending fun… and easy… and warm…" her breathing was now very deep.

Draco touched her exposed shoulder. Her skin was goose pimpled and freezing. He pulled the blanket fully over her then his arm, the blanket dividing them. She naturally edged closer to him.

Draco closed his eyes and listened to her breathing. This is going to be a long night, he thought. But he was wrong, he fell asleep within the next ten minutes and descended into darkness- Astoria's breathing was his soundtrack.

* * *

The next time Draco opened his grey eyes Astoria's blue ones were staring into his, half-shut and dozy but happy. Draco didn't pull back or demand that she leave and take her gawking somewhere else, he relaxed and found that the corners of his mouth were twitching upwards. It must've been because she looked like an angel, an attractive angel, she was smiling but not obnoxiously. Draco made her do that.

"You snore." She stated.

"Good morning to you too," Draco said, his eyes moving along her body only to find his arm was thrown over her waist. "Don't tell me you have nothing better to do than watch me sleep, I know it's a wonderful sight."

Astoria laughed. Draco thought it was cute. Draco wanted to slap himself out of it. Wake up.

"You look innocent when you sleep." She reached up and brushed her fingers against his stubble. "Your face relaxes and you're not sneering."

"I'm not sneering now."

Astoria raised an eyebrow. "When you're awake and 'not sneering' you always look a second away from switching back into 'Imma big hungry troll' mode."

"You…" he trailed off.

"What?" Astoria was almost on top of him now.

Draco shook his head. "Forget it. It's too mean."

"I want to hear it. I'll say something mean about you first if you want."

Draco brightened at this. "Go on then."

Astoria cleared her throat. "Your nose is too big for your face."

Draco laughed. "That's the meanest thing you can say about me?" he challenged.

"It's too big in a cute way." She teased. She touched his nose with her finger. His eyes crossed as he looked at her emerald fingernail.

He was now snorting with laughter. "Pathetic, you've just taken back your 'insult.'"

"Now tell me what you were going to say." Astoria batted her eyelashes. "Was it something about my ugly makeup-less face? I can fix that with a wave of my wand."

"You're not ugly without makeup."

"The right answer."

Draco sighed. "You can't stay own personal space for five seconds."

Astoria mimicked his sigh. "I like your personal space, Draco, darling." She said getting fully on top of him now. Draco automatically grabbed her thighs to steady her. Astoria's breathing changed and so did Draco's, his lungs suddenly needed more air.

"Why?"

Astoria blinked as if the answer was obvious. "The same reason you keep yourself in mine."

There was a beat.

"Even though you make these half-arsed comments threatening to take off," she added, giving him more of a hint.

Draco was still drawing a blank. He liked Astoria in his head. He couldn't say it out loud and 'like' wasn't the reason. He liked Goyle- to some extent- but he wasn't going to let him near him with a barge pole.

"It feels right." She said quietly and simply.

Astoria flopped back down onto the bed this time her legs entangled with his. They didn't say anything for some time until Draco was starting to find his bed overwhelmingly hot.

"So it worked."

"What worked?"

"The potion, Astoria."

Astoria was suddenly beaming. "Oh, yes! It was completely black. I can't even remember falling asleep all I can remember is you saying something about 'a goodnight kiss.'" She teased. "Thank you, Draco. I forgot about it because it worked that well."

Draco was expecting a kiss on the cheek from her, his heart even sped up in preparation for it. But Astoria shocked him by just keeping her closeness to him and smiling.

"I suppose I'll keep making it for you then."

There was a pause.

"Draco?"

"What?"

"Can I ask you something personal?"

"Merlin, is this about my stupid Witch Weekly horoscope?" Draco frowned, suspicious.

"No. It's a general question. You don't have to go into detail." Her tone was delicate, it made Draco's muscles tense.

A list of questions automatically formed in his mind:

 _What was getting the dark mark like?_

 _Are you still a Death Eater?_

 _Why did you do that?_

 _What was Voldemort like?_

 _Did you kill Dumbledore? Did good old Snape cover it up?_

 _Do you think you'll end up in Azkaban?_

 _Is the Malfoy fortune still intact-_

"How do you sleep without the potion?"

Draco exhaled. "Just do."

Astoria nodded.

"I don't do much dreaming anymore. Sleeping's a waste of time anyway." Draco absent-mindedly twisted a lock of Astoria's hair around his slender finger.

"You're too hard on yourself. It's exhausting."

"Doesn't feel like that."

"You're a better wizard than you think."

"Astoria, you don't know anything." He stated hotly. "Stop sugar-coating what you think you are seeing."

"I know what I'm seeing. You weren't the only one trapped..." She trailed off bitterly.

Draco's eyes widened.

"I think we need to get some actual Transfiguration in," she said, snuggling deeper into his chest. "Or just lie in silence for an hour or two? Whichever you're in the mood for."

"Maybe you could show me how to make a feather disappear and reappear for real?" he didn't want to think, especially about Astoria, that shorter patch of hair made his stomach churn.

"We could practice on my nightdress." She said into his chest. "Or your top, it's itching my face."

"I would prefer making it disappear with my own hands." He almost growled. He thought of his hands on her thighs again.

Astoria lifted her head. A challenge, Draco thought.

"The feather first," Astoria said unnaturally timid. Not a challenge. Draco's smirk dropped. The girl who had planted herself on his lap and in his bed didn't jump to tease him further on that suggestion... It made Draco's head spin. Of course, she wasn't straightforward. Draco thought. Nothing was.

* * *

 **Author's note: A longer chapter is on its way. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


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